My Miami Music Week: The Ultra appetizer
Published: March 24, 2014
By: Jared Vinik
Miami Music Week. It truly is one of, if not the, best weeks for electronic dance music in the world. The beautiful Miami sun, the bumping beats, and the non-stop parties. It is considered a must for any dance music fan, and it is easy to see why.
I am lucky enough to find myself heading down to Miami in just a few days time. This is going to be my third straight Miami Music Week, and I know it is going to be my best. I will be ending my MMW with the three day long Ultra Music Festival, a Miami staple for the last 15 years. Before Ultra begins however, I have a number of important stops to make.
My first stop is Day 1 of the recently announced Good Times Miami OWSLA party. If you are unfamiliar with Owsla, it is the record label founded by none other than Skrillex. This 2-day event, with day 1 taking place from 4:00-11:00 PM on Wednesday, March 26th, features a beyond stacked lineup of DJs. This event is special in that all the DJs billed are scheduled to perform B2B, or back to back, sets with one another. Skrillex is performing with hot Australian act What So Not, as well as with Chance The Rapper. Benny Benassi is B2B with Congorock, and Zeds Dead is B2B with a surprise guest whose name is blacked out on the flyer (but crafty redditors have suggested it says ‘Fillon Drancis’.) This party is surely going to be out of control and I could not be more excited for it to begin.
My Wednesday night of MMW is going to be spent at Grand Central, for night 1 of HARD Miami. Dubbed the ‘Rump Shaker’ night, HARD has put together an excellent lineup, with Boys Noize, Zeds Dead and RL Grime headlining the sold out event. This is a very intimate venue and will undoubtedly be a show to remember.
This brings us to Thursday. One might expect Thursday to be a slower day, as excited dance music fans rest in preparation of the whirlwind that is Ultra Music Festival, but this could not be further from the truth. This is Miami Music Week, and the party never, I repeat never, stops.
My Thursday begins with a trip to The Surfcomber Hotel, situated on world famous South Beach, for a very special daytime pool party. Headlining the event, which takes place from Noon to 11:00 PM, is none other than Armin Van Buuren, considered by many to be the best trance DJ/producer in the world. This is a party that I really am excited for. I have seen Armin before, and he has always blown me away, but to see him under the beautiful Miami sun, at a pool party of all places, is indescribable. It is foolish to predict what my favorite MMW set is going to be, but if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on this event. Tickets are available at this link, but act fast because they will undoubtedly be sold out soon.
My Thursday night plans might well be the envy of all dance music fans across the country. A few weeks ago, dance music dons Eric Prydz and Deadmau5 teased a flyer for a MMW event. The flyer only said “Mau5trap VS Pryda.” Fast-forward to today. We know that this event is taking place on Thursday, March 27th, in Miami, at a Pop-Up Arena at the Ice Palace Studios, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. We know that Eric Prydz is going to be there, and we know that Deadmau5 is going to be there. Are they going to play B2B? Is Eric Prydz going to wear Deadmau5’s famous mouse head? I have no idea, but I’m sure as hell excited to find out.
Regardless of what your favorite genre of electronic dance music is, Miami Music Week has something to offer. I feel confident that I have built the absolute best schedule for myself, and I am literally itching with anticipation to get to Miami. If you want to hear how my Miami adventure turns out, bookmark The Untz and come back soon!
Miami Music Week. It truly is one of, if not the, best weeks for electronic dance music in the world. The beautiful Miami sun, the bumping beats, and the non-stop parties. It is considered a must for any dance music fan, and it is easy to see why.
I am lucky enough to find myself heading down to Miami in just a few days time. This is going to be my third straight Miami Music Week, and I know it is going to be my best. I will be ending my MMW with the three day long Ultra Music Festival, a Miami staple for the last 15 years. Before Ultra begins however, I have a number of important stops to make.
My first stop is Day 1 of the recently announced Good Times Miami OWSLA party. If you are unfamiliar with Owsla, it is the record label founded by none other than Skrillex. This 2-day event, with day 1 taking place from 4:00-11:00 PM on Wednesday, March 26th, features a beyond stacked lineup of DJs. This event is special in that all the DJs billed are scheduled to perform B2B, or back to back, sets with one another. Skrillex is performing with hot Australian act What So Not, as well as with Chance The Rapper. Benny Benassi is B2B with Congorock, and Zeds Dead is B2B with a surprise guest whose name is blacked out on the flyer (but crafty redditors have suggested it says ‘Fillon Drancis’.) This party is surely going to be out of control and I could not be more excited for it to begin.My Wednesday night of MMW is going to be spent at Grand Central, for night 1 of HARD Miami. Dubbed the ‘Rump Shaker’ night, HARD has put together an excellent lineup, with Boys Noize, Zeds Dead and RL Grime headlining the sold out event. This is a very intimate venue and will undoubtedly be a show to remember.
This brings us to Thursday. One might expect Thursday to be a slower day, as excited dance music fans rest in preparation of the whirlwind that is Ultra Music Festival, but this could not be further from the truth. This is Miami Music Week, and the party never, I repeat never, stops.
My Thursday begins with a trip to The Surfcomber Hotel, situated on world famous South Beach, for a very special daytime pool party. Headlining the event, which takes place from Noon to 11:00 PM, is none other than Armin Van Buuren, considered by many to be the best trance DJ/producer in the world. This is a party that I really am excited for. I have seen Armin before, and he has always blown me away, but to see him under the beautiful Miami sun, at a pool party of all places, is indescribable. It is foolish to predict what my favorite MMW set is going to be, but if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on this event. Tickets are available at this link, but act fast because they will undoubtedly be sold out soon.
My Thursday night plans might well be the envy of all dance music fans across the country. A few weeks ago, dance music dons Eric Prydz and Deadmau5 teased a flyer for a MMW event. The flyer only said “Mau5trap VS Pryda.” Fast-forward to today. We know that this event is taking place on Thursday, March 27th, in Miami, at a Pop-Up Arena at the Ice Palace Studios, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. We know that Eric Prydz is going to be there, and we know that Deadmau5 is going to be there. Are they going to play B2B? Is Eric Prydz going to wear Deadmau5’s famous mouse head? I have no idea, but I’m sure as hell excited to find out.Regardless of what your favorite genre of electronic dance music is, Miami Music Week has something to offer. I feel confident that I have built the absolute best schedule for myself, and I am literally itching with anticipation to get to Miami. If you want to hear how my Miami adventure turns out, bookmark The Untz and come back soon!
